On The Run
by 80sPrincess
Summary: Jessie is on the run from her abusive father. What happens when she crosses the path of Riddick? This is the very first story I've ever written. It's an awful summary, I know. But I'm still trying. I appreciate reviews. Let me know if I should continue or not. Hope you enjoy! :)
1. Chapter 1

Jessie Lawrence knew... This was her only chance... She had to get away from this life. Men pawing her and using her in their perverted fantasies... She packed her few possesions in her black backpack, pulled her dark blond hair into a pony and tiptoed down the stairs... Tiptoeing past her fathers bedroom, praying she wouldn't be caught, she was thankful for the loud moaning coming from inside. Disgusted, she hurried past.  
He had a new woman, sometimes more, every night. She caught sight of herself in the hall mirror, her black eye, looking worse than before against her pale skin. She grabbed one of the hats her father kept at the base of the stairs and pulled it low over her face. She grabbed the wallet lying on the table and punched in the code to the door. It opened with a hiss and she slipped into the black night. Walking as nonchatanly as she could she avoided eye contact with passerbys. Hoverbikes zipped by as she was bumped and pushed about on the crowded streets. She had to make it to the nearest station. She was going to be on the first ship out of this place. Wanting to get as far away from the beast, that was her father, as she could.

Checking in the wallet she noted that she only had 500 credits with her. Looking in the back she saw her fathers cards. She should be able to pay with that, until he noticed it was missing. She straightened her dark gray jacket and settled the cap on her head as she read the destinations. Tirear, 111,298 kilometers away. Good enough. She went to buy her ticket. The man at the desk looked bored. "Destination?" he asked. She fumbled with the wallet and she reached for the card to hand him, "One ticket for Tirear, please." He took the card, "Any luggage?".  
She swung her pack to show him, "Just this one." She replied. "One ticket to Tirear, one carry-on, $934. Name?"  
She paused a moment, debating on using her name or not... The card was in her fathers name. She'd have to use her last name. No sense in changing the first. "Jessie Lawrence." The man handed her the card back and her ticket. "Have a nice trip, Ms. Lawrence."  
She nodded and took her bag and ticket to the ship. Flying always made her nervous. She boarded the ship and handed her ticket to the woman at the door. "Seat 4A," she said, "Right down the aisle, on the left."  
She walked to her seat and sat down with a sigh. So far, so good. She pulled her pack into her lap as she let her eyes close. She didn't see the man sitting across the way.  
She didn't notice how he watched her with eyes shining in the dark. 'How long before he notices that I'm gone...? How long before I can't use the card anymore...? He'll be able to trace where I headed... I'll have to hop another ship when I get to Tirear..." These thoughts and many others ran around in her head until she was exhausted from just thinking about it. She dozed off into a fitful sleep. The eyes across the way took in the sight. About 5'7"... Close to 120lbs... Young. 18, 19 maybe. Long, dark blond hair, pulled into a pony tail... He could smell the rose petal shampoo that lingered... Green eyes, hidden beneath the cap...No doubt trying to conceal the bruised cheek... Pale skin... Porcelein. Plain jeans, t-shirt modest, but revealing shapely large breasts with each breath. Nondescript clothing... He knew that look. This girl was on the run...

"What's she running from?" he wondered. "The bruises..." He sat back and watched.

Jessie startled, wondering what had woken her, she didn't remember dozing off. There were more people on board now, maybe a dozen in total. The starting of the engines must have woken her. She clutched the arm of her seat. Oh, she hated to fly. At least it wasn't innerplanetary... She hated the lightspeed jumps. Her father had dragged her all across the galaxy after her mother died. She looked around and for the first time noticed the man sitting next to her. He was a large man. Dark skinned. Heavily muscled. Wearing a black shirt and leather pants to match. Black combat boots and black goggles over his eyes. He looked intimidating with his head shaved and seams practically bursting on his shirt. She wondered when he had sat down. He was looking forward, with those goggles on she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. She didn't know why she was wondering. She was hoping this time of night that she would be able to travel alone. Fewer people around, fewer to notice. "I've just got to dodge him for two and a half months... Then I'l be 18. Freedom."  
She sat back thinking of why she was running away... Her father had abused her enough, sold her to many men through the years. She had always held on to the hope that when she turned 18 she'd be free. Until three nights ago... When that man had shown up. She'd over heard him. He wanted to buy her for his 'Emporium'. Women sold there never saw the world again. She took her first chance... Here she was now. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the man next to her again. She was slightly nervous sitting next to him. There were very few other people on board and none nearby... She settled into the corner of her seat away from him, trying not to show her worries. Something about him was dark. Intimidating. 


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the review! I will be trying to upload at least one chapter a day. I hope you continue to follow. This is a short one. _SCREECH!

Jessie almost jumped out of her seat... She looked around alarmed, trying to figure out what had woken her. "Fear of flying?"  
She jumped. Looking to her left, she saw the man sitting next to her looking at her. Or she guessed he was. Those goggles. "What?" she asked.  
His voice, deep and strong, "You afraid to fly?"he asked again. She looked him up and down, quickly. "No." She lied, hoping it was convincing. "I was wondering what the noise was."  
He gave a small smirk, "Air brakes, sounds like we're about to land."  
Wow. She'd slept the whole trip. She couldn't believe that she had let her guard down like that. She needed to do better if she was gonna make it on her own. The man extended his hand to her, "Richard Riddick."  
She hesitated just a brief moment before taking his hand and giving it a shake. "I'm Jessie."  
He raised an eyebrow as he returned the shake, "Just Jessie?"  
"Just Jessie." She readjusted the cap on her head, making sure that her bruised eye was mostly covered. She looked forward wondering why the man had bothered to introduce himself at the end of their flight.  
"Well, Just Jessie, it's nice to meet you."  
For some reason she found herself liking the way he said her name, and scolded herself for it. She had seen enough of what men wanted from her. She wasn't going to be giving anymore. "Likewise, I'm sure." she replied, her voice taking an icy edge. She turned her head slightly away, indicating that the conversation was over.

He didn't know why, but he kind of liked the young woman sitting next to him. He certainly wasn't looking for a relationship, or anything, couldn't figure out why he'd given her a second glance, let alone introduced himself to her. She was different. Quite and determined. He guessed she hadn't had a good life. Who'd run from a good life? He could sense her strong survival instinct in the way she reacted to him. He admired that in a woman. He gave her a quick once over again. The bruise covering her eye and most of her cheek was fresh, painful looking. He watched as she pulled the colar of her jacket closed, fingerprints around her slender throat. He wondered who'd done it... Who she was running from. He knew, in a way, how she felt. Alone, wary, avoiding others like the plauge. Refusing to be a victim.

Jessie couldn't wait for the flight to be over. She didn't like how the man kept looking at her. Analyzing her. She wanted to get away from him. And fast.

When the ship landed on Tirear, she was out of her seat before it had come to a complete, stop. Mistake. The final skid knocked her off balance. She would have fallen had the man not quickly stood up and took hold of her arm to steady her. She cursed herself. She quickly got her balance back and with a quick, 'thank you', walked as quickly down the aisle to the hatch as she could. Barely noticing the man with the cane watching her as she walked by.

Riddick stood and watched her walking away so quickly, smelling the lingering scent of shampoo. He caught sight of the man who watched her walk out. He could see the look in his eyes, as he licked his lips. Riddick didn't like the look of that. Though he still didn't know why, he was slightly concerned with the yound woman. He slowly followed the man who was following Jessie. Riddick was certain, no matter how capable she thought herself to be, she was gonna need help. She hadn't been on her own long.  



	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for the reviews! It's really encouraging. Sorry about that typo. I was having some trouble with this chapter, getting it to flow right. Hopefully it's not too long or too quick. I really hope you continue to enjoy!

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Jessie walked out of the ship and into the port. It was dark and dingy. She saw a sign with the info for the city. Population: 899,345. Hm. Not a small city, but not the greatest place to disappear in. She wandered further in looking for the exit. Wondering where to get a bite to eat. She hadn't eaten since her breakfast yesterday. She looked around and didn't see the man who had sat next to her. She felt relieved to see he wasn't following her. The only person she saw was a tall man with a cane leaning on a column on the far side of the port. Finding the door and city brochures next to it, she took one. As she stepped into the outdoors she looked around and took a deep breath. It smelled as though it had just rained. A refreshing smell. The sun had not come up yet, but the sky was starting to light. Looked like more rain on the way.  
She started down the street. Walking slowly looking for somewhere to eat. She had walked a couple of blocks and seen things in the alleyways that had quickened her pace several times. She turned another corner and saw a little diner with bright red neon "OPEN" sign flashing. Looked like as good a place as any.

Riddick had been following the girl from the port, staying a good distance behind. He watched the man in front of him, wondering what he was planning. He still couldn't explain why he was worried about the girl. She meant nothing to him. Though if this man had planned what Riddick thought then he had to be stopped.

Jessie had settled in at the diner and ordered her food. She sat in the corner booth watching the other patrons eating. Very few people in here this time of morning. Less than a dozen. Most looking to be straight from the bars. When her food arrived she thanked the waitress and started to eat. In between bites she glanced around the place again. At the counter, she saw that man again, the one with the cane. Feeling a bit nervous she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Feeling a little foolish for worrying. Chances were slim he was following her, he was probably hungry as well. It had been a long flight. She started to worry about her current situation. She couldn't stay in town since her father would be able to trace her ticked purchase. However she didn't have enough money to purchase another ticket. She could walk, perhaps. But it'd take so long she could be picked up. A job maybe? Change my looks... Despite having slept on the flight she was dead tired. She figured she could at least get some rest and worry about the rest later. As she paid her ticket and walked out she had forgotten her fear of the man at the counter.

The man with the cane watched the attractive young woman exit the diner, he paid his ticket and with an evil smile walked into the rain after her.

"Great," Jessie mumbled as she pulled her hat down and tried to stay under the eaves as much as possible. "Freezing rain, lovely." She pulled her jacket closer as she started to shiver, it did no good. She was completely soaked through. She looked up ahead of her, there should be a hotel two blocks up. "Nothing to do but keep walking."

The man with the cane had quickly gotten ahead of her and waited in the alley. When she passed he grabbed her and pulled her into the dark. His hand quickly flew to her mouth before she had time to realize what had happened. "Hello, gorgeous." He hissed at her, pushing her roughly against the wall.

Jessie couldn't move, could barely breathe. The man had her crushed against the wall, holding one arm tightly, with her other pressed against him. Trying not to panic, she looked for a way out of the situation. "Scream, if you want, nobody's gonna hear," he said as he took his hand off her mouth and tore open her jacket... Running his hand over her breasts, grabbing roughly... Jessie couldn't find her voice to scream, she could only struggle in vain against his grip. The man slapped her hard across the face. She was momentarily dazed, as she heard the man saying something. "You're not gonna enjoy this much, I'm afraid," he said with an awful laugh. "But I am." Jessie glared at him, trying to find the strength to break away. Then something moved in the shadows.

As he started his assault, the man watched the fear in the womans eyes turn to another object... SNAP! Before he could even turn around two strong hands had snapped his neck...

Jessie watched horrified as her would be rapist fell to the ground. She looked at her rescuer, the man who'd sat by her on the flight. She staring at him, breathing hard, her brain trying to catch up. "You ok?" Shelooked at him, trying to calm herself down. She nodded mutely, and took a stumbling step away. She wanted somewhere dry and light. The man grabbed ahold of her arm and held her steady until she started to breathe normally again, as she realized that she was safe. "Thank you," was all she could manage to get out, still gasping for breath. The man looked her up and down and nodded. She appeared to be ok. She took a good look at him, he had his goggles off. She stared at his eyes... They were shining in the darkness, silvery.  
"You better get somewhere dry," was all he said as he let go of her. She stumbled out of the alley way, grabbing her fallen pack on the way. She was practically running by the time she reached the motel.

Riddick stood there a moment, watching her head away. He bent down and picked up the body of the man. Hauling him over to a dumpster he threw the body in. He despised rapist. Sick and sadistic in ways no human should be capable of. Killing was one thing, rape was something entirely different. "That's where trash belongs," he said as he closed the lid and walked out of the alley. 


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took so long to get this one uploaded. 6 month old baby can be a handful. Thank you for the reviews! They are so encouraging. I really hope I can continue to deliver good chapters. Tried to make this one a little longer. Hope it's not boring! Enjoy! :) This chapter is mostly Jessie. P.S.  
If anyone has suggestions, or ideas. I'd love hearing them. :)

Inside her motel room Jessie sat on the bed, staring at her reflection in the mirror on the wall. Her head swimming... She was trying to piece together what had happened. Her rescuer, she couldn't remember the name he'd given, Rodrick? No, that wasn't it. Whatever it was, how he'd just killed that other man, so coldly. She remembered the sickening sound of his neck breaking. It hadn't appeared to have even phased him. It was so crazy. With a shuddering sigh, she decided to take a hot shower and try to clear her head. She turned the water on and let it heat up, the room and bathroom that adjoined was nice for the price. As she dropped her, still wet, clothes to the floor, she stepped into the stream of the shower. It was like a tiny bit of heaven. Relaxing her sore muscles, washing off the grime of travel. As she stood there just letting the water soothe and ease the day away, she started to think again. What was she going to do, where was she going to go? Obviously she needed to learn to take better care of herself. What had almost happened... Her thoughts drifted back to him, Riddick. That was the name he had given. Richard Riddick. She was grateful to him, even if he did scare her. And he did. The way he'd just taken that other man, if that's what he could be called, the way he'd killed him. He'd saved her though, and possibly dozens of other women. She was aware just how long she'd been standing there when the water suddenly went cold. She jumped out quickly, wrapping a towel around herself and shutting the water off.

Riddick sat in his own room, wondering about that girl, Jessie. Why had he introduced himself? Why his real name? He didn't know why he cared. Why had he followed her? What if someone had seen him? Of course he'd taken that risk a couple of time lately. He found himself thinking of the way she looked... There was no doubt she was attractive. It'd been a long time since he'd found himself thinking of a woman like that. It wasn't just her looks though. It was her, her will to survive. She was strong, he could sense it. He found those traits to be incredibly appealing. Too bad he wasn't going to see her again.

Jessie sat on the bed, brushing her hair, still wrapped in the towel. She stood up and walked towards the mirror, taking a good look at herself. She saw the bruises first. The one that blackened around her eye and spread down most of her left cheek. The ones in the shape of fingers wrapping around her neck. The one on her arm, two down her back. Her legs were speckled with bruises of varying size and color. Some almost completely gone. some only put there yesterday. She sighed. She looked at herself in whole. She wondered if she could change her looks enough to hide in the city for a while. She wondered if her father would even find her worth the effort of looking. She walked over to her bed and picked up the backpack. Rummaging through looking for something to wear. She was amazed that she'd fit so much stuff in just the one pack. Determination is a good thing she thought. She hated her selection of clothes. The only modest thing her father ever allowed her to have was now sitting in a soaked pile on the bathroom floor. Oh, well. She'd try to buy more inconspicuous attire later. She pulled on her bra, followed by a tank top with a plunging neckline slipped her lace sweater over it and pulled a pair of pants that looked like a 2nd skin. Looking in the mirror she knew looked exactly as her father had always wanted, she hated it. She decided to go wash her clothes right now. She gathered the wet pile up and lugged the to the laundry room. As she put her clothes into the machine she was thinking of how to changer her looks. She loved her long hair. But so did her father and that almost made her hate it. What was more important? 'Fine.' She thought. She'd cut her hair. And dye it. She wished she could do complete physical reconstruction. She walked back to her room and fell on the bed. She closed her eyes, seeing the man Riddick behind her eyelids. She couldn't help thinking about his eyes. The way that shined in the alley. It might have been her imagination. Must have been. Peoples eyes don't shine like that. She found herself dozing off. With a heavy sigh she pushed herself off the bed. She had too much to do before she could rest. Putting the room key in her back pocket she grabbed her jacket and headed up the street to the nearest store.

Riddick was trying to sleep. Tossing and turning. He couldn't get that image out of his head. The girl. Jessie. Why? Why could he not forget her? He was beginning to get angry with himself. He hadn't had this much trouble sleeping since his first night in the slam. He thought back to that night, hoping to distract himself from thinking of her. That first night had been hell. He hadn't slept at all. Stayed awake. His back pressed to the wall, holding his makeshift shiv in ready. He heard all the screams and shouts of the other prisoners. Hated the pitch darkness of it all. Hated the blindness that engulfed him. Wishing he could see what was going on around. He hated feeling vulnerable, like somethings prey. He'd change that. He knew he'd find a way. He was no one's prey. The fitful memories had been enough to finally allow him to fall asleep. But in his dreams he kept seeing her face.

Opening the door to her room, Jessie sat the bag of stuff on the bed. She'd managed to find another pair of jeans and shirt. Scissors and hair dye. First thing first. She took the scissors out. Standing in front of the mirror, she hesitated a moment. She hated to do it, her long hair reminded her of her mother. In a way she felt a connection to her through. She knew it was silly and her mother would understand. Snip. She watched as the first bit of hair fell to the floor. Snip. The second. She tried not to think about it as she continued to cut. She thought back to her mom. How beautiful she'd been. How happy her life had been. Until that awful day.

She'd come home from school to find her mom and dad arguing, that wasn't unusual, her father was always angry. But this was more heated that usual. She stood outside their door listening, she could had no trouble hearing them. She hated it when her mom yelled, she so rarely did. She couldn't really make out what they were saying. She could tell it was about her. She ran into her room and stayed on her bed all night. She cried herself to sleep after she'd heard her mom screaming. It sounded awful. In the morning her dad came in and the next morning to tell her that her mother was dead. Then walked out of the room. She had slowly walked down the hall, feeling like she was in a dream. She saw her mother lying on the bed. She looked like she was sleeping. But she was sad... From that day forward Jessie hadn't had a happy day in her life. 10 years ago.

She shook her head to clear the thoughts away, as though her head worked like an Etch-a-Sketch. She sighed and forced the memories away. She looked at herself in the mirror, she already looked way different. The hair that had once been below her waist was now layered to just above her shoulder. She picked up the bottle of dye and went to work. When she was done and finished, she put on her new jeans and shirt to give herself a final appraisal. The once long haired, blonde was now a woman with short black hair. She looked very different. She cleaned the hair off the floor and suddenly remembered her laundry. She rushed out to get it. Hoping someone hadn't taken it.

As she walked towards the laundry mat she glanced across the way and couldn't believe what she saw. She saw her father at the desk, showing the clerk a picture. She assumed it must be her. How could he be here so soon? He shouldn't have figured out that quickly. She'd not even been here a day. She hurried to grab her clothes and head back to her room. When she got inside she shoved her clothes into her backpack and cleaned the room to look as though she'd never been there. Hiding the dye bottle and flushing her hair down the toilet. She didn't want him to suspect she'd changed her looks. Best not to risk going back to the lobby. She snuck quietly out the window. 


	5. Chapter 5

Hope that everyone enjoys this chapter. I just couldn't resist the wonderfully powerful and strong Riddick doing something as mundane as cooking dinner. It was a super cute image to me. Lol. Let me know what you guys think. :)

IIIII

Riddick was walking back from picking up some groceries. Thinking about making some sweet and sour chicken. He'd tried it once on Earth. He'd developed quite a taste for it. Making it whenever he could find the ingredients. Not all systems carried chicken. He always wondered why. It was so delicious. As he was walking to his room he noticed a man in the lobby. He was showing a picture to the clerk. He was almost sure the girl in the picture was Jessie. He frowned. She was still in a lot of trouble if they found her. Or maybe they were just worried about her... No. Those bruises didn't speak well of where she'd come from. He couldn't imagine anyone looking for her was looking out for her. He hoped that she'd been smart enough to hop another flight quick.

There was one problem with going out the window, Jessie thought. It was on the second story. Looking down she realized how futile the effort to get down would be. She inched her way back into her room. New plan. Sneak out through the lobby and hope you don't get caught.

Riddick heard the scuffling outside the motel. Should be silent on the second level. Looking out the window he saw a female form trying to inch herself along the thin ledge. He thought for a moment it was Jessie. The body was similar, but this girl had black hair, much shorter than Jessie. He watched as the girl hesitated, seeming to think better of her foolish plight. At that moment the wind changed directions, blowing her scent to him. It was Jessie. He hadn't realized that he'd memorized her smell. He breathed deeply. She had such a sweet smell. It reminded him of flowers in sunshine. Ugh. He shook his head, irritated at himself. Since when did he think like that? Sunshine? Flowers? What was going on with his mind? How had he ended up at the same hotel? He turned from his window as he watched the girl climb back into her window. "Good luck gettin' outta here," he muttered as he turned back to his cooking.

"Ugh!" Jessie couldn't help her exasperation as she flopped back down on her bed. Her father was in the lobby showing her picture around, thankfully that wasn't the clerk who had checked her in, but what if he waits till the other one comes back? She started to pace back and forth. Finally she decided to sneak down to the lobby and see if he was still there... Ugh. He was. Asking anyone that passed about the picture. He looked over towards the stairs where she stood. She turned as fast as she could and rushed up the stairs. When she reached the landing she was grabbed from the first door on her left. One hand flew to her mouth and the other captured both her arms by wrapping almost entirely around her waist. Before she had time to panic, she was pulled into the room and the door kicked shut. A deep, masculine and oddly familiar voice in her ear, "Calm down, you're safe."

Riddick didn't know why he'd done it. With all that he was doing without good reason as of late he was afraid he might be losing his mind. But this young woman, she had done something to him. She had a hold on him and he couldn't figure out what. Letting her go, he dimmed the lights and lifted his goggles and let her turn to look at him.

As the hand left her mouth Jessie realized the urge to scream never came to her, there was something comforting about the gentle way the man had grabbed her. He dimmed the light as she turned to look at the man. Riddick. Her rescuer from the alley. In the same hotel? Was he following her? She looked at his silvery eyes and realized that even if he was, he didn't mean her any harm. She hoped.  
Before she could say anything she heard footsteps in the hall. "In the bathroom," Riddick ordered her, with a quick nod in that direction. She didn't even think to question him as she quickly ducked behind the door. Listening from the other side.

There was a knock on the door. Putting his goggles back in place and turning the lights up once again, Riddick opened it. He watched with slight amusement as the man outside shrank away slightly upon seeing him. He loved having that effect on people. "Yes?" he asked the man as he looked him up and down. About 5'10, fairly muscled, large hands, dark hair, squared jaw. Deep green eyes. Like his daughters, Riddick thought. "Um, yes. I'm looking for my daugther and I was wondering if you could take the time to look at this picture and tell me if you'd see her?"  
Riddick cocked an eyebrow and took the picture. It was Jessie. Wow. A tight red mini-skirt, black spike heels and black, very sheer tank top with strategic placed lace roses, heavy make-up. He looked at the terrible sadness in her eyes and felt anger swell in him. Thrusting the picture back at the man he growled "No." The man looked a little worried at the tone of his voice. Good, Riddick thought.  
"Well, you see, I've reason to believe she may be in the city and I'm terribly worried about her. She's my whole world, you know. If you happen to see her, would you be so good as to let me know? I'm staying just down stairs, room 5A. I'd give anything to have her back and safe with me." The man stood there, as if waiting for an answer. Riddick just looked at him. "Sure," he growled again. The man held out his hand, "The name is Aaron Lawrence."  
When Riddick made no move to take his hand, the man let it drop kind of awkwardly and started to turn away. "Well, thanks for your time." Riddick was already shutting the door.

Jessie listened behind the bathroom door barely breathing, hoping with all her might this man would not betray her. Knowing somehow he woudn't. But she knew the charmer that her father could be. Make people believe that she'd merely run away and it was the best thing for her to come back. She could imagine him selling that story. She ground her teeth in anger as she thought about it. She heard the door shut but still waited. It took only a second for Riddick to come to the door and knock, she opened it slowly. "You're safe for now," he said. "He's gone."  
Jessie looked up at him. He had to have been about 6'. He had his goggles back on. "Thank you," she said softly. Not understanding why he'd protected her yet again. The fear that she'd felt when she first met him was starting to subside. She was still a little on edge, intimidated.  
The man nearly nodded in response and opened the door all the way, indicating she should come out of the bathroom. She did so, only to stand a little awkwardly in the middle of the room. Still feeling slightly frightened, she held her backpack in front of her, like a little girl would hold a teddy bear for comfort.

Riddick shut the door to the bathroom and turned to look at the girl in front of him. He almost smiled at the sight before him. She had the hardened, tough look of when he met her, but there was the small, vulnerable side clutching her bag in front of her. He could smell her fear. Normally that was good. But he didn't want this girl to be afraid of him. Why not? Ugh. He didn't know why not. He just knew that he didn't want it. How could he help to put her at ease? At that moment the timer on the oven in the kitchenette dinged. Perfect. Dinner is always a good way to break the ice. Since when did he think like this? He guessed since he met her.

Jessie watched as the man turned to go to the oven. He made a gesture towards the bed. "You can set your bag down, have a seat if you'd like." She glanced at the bed and then back to the man. She watched as he took a dish out of the oven. It smelled wonderful. She hadn't realized she was hungry until her stomach gave a small growl. Hoping he didn't notice the growling, she sat on the edge of the bed, still holding her bag. "You eaten yet?" the man asked, as he continued to prepare whatever he had taken out of the stove. "No," she replied as she caught herself watching the way his muscles rippled under the black muscle shirt he was wearing. "Would you care to join me?"  
She took a moment to reply as she was thinking how mesmerizing his voice was. So deep and strong. Truly masculine. "Uh, I think I should be going." she managed to get out. "Not a good idea. You're old man's probably just waiting for you to stick your head out." She nervously tugged at a loose string, on her pack, knowing that he was right.  
He turned to her, lifting his goggles and offering a small smile. "No sense leaving on an empty stomach anyway. A bit of dinner'll do ya some good." He gestured to one of the chairs at the little table. She couldn't deny she was starving. And it wasn't like she'd be able to get away from this man if he had ill in mind for her anyway. Might as well eat. She smiled, just a teeny bit. "Ok."  
He nodded and took a seat opposite her as he set the last of the food on the table. 


	6. Chapter 6

This one is a short chapter. Little risque. Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think of it! :)  
Oh, and just so there's no confusion in the soon to follow chapters, this is set after Pitch Black, but no CoR.

Jessie sat in silence, staring at her plate as she ate. She was unsure of what to say or if she should say anything. The man sitting across from her was a mystery to be sure. He had helped her with not explanation, had asked her no questions, and had yet asked anything of her more than to eat dinner. She finally looked up to see him already watching her. He'd dimmed the light and pushed his goggles onto the top of his head. The way his eyes shined was almost enchanting. Clearing her throat awkwardly she looked back down at her plate. "So, this is really good." He half smirked at her. "Thank you." She nodded and half smiled back and returned to eating in silence.

Riddick looked at the young woman sitting across from him. She was still afraid, but it was starting to ease. The scent of fear wasn't nearly as strong as before. He found himself enjoying the way she smelled, she smelled of lilac and soap, and irritatedly reminded himself once again to watch his thoughts. He had to figure out what he was doing. He couldn't stay here long. People would undoubtledly start to recognize him. He had hoped to be moving on tonight. He still could. Wasn't too late to book a flight. But looking at her he couldn't bring himself to leave her. He could take her with him. No. No! He traveled alone and took care of himself. He didn't need a dead weight to look after. He didn't need to be looking out for some little girl. She's hardly a little girl, he thought.

Jessie couldn't take it any longer. She looked up at Riddick. "Why did you help me?" she asked bluntly. She watched as he looked her up and down, almost as if he didn't have an answer for her. "You needed help," was all he said to her as he took a last bite of food and started to gather up his dishes. Sensing that was all he would say at the moment she decided to wait and see if he opened up on his own. She started collecting her own dishes and went to the sink. "I can do the dishes," she offered. He turned to look at her, and she once again realized how tall he was. And how large. "You can help." With that statement he turned towards the sink and started to wash. Jessie shrugged and cleared the rest of the table.

When everything was cleaned up and put away, Jessie figured he'd be asking her to leave, she grabbed her bag and started towards the door. "Well, thanks for savin' my neck," she said as she grasped the handle and turned to say goodbye. He looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Where you going?" he asked. He's not gonna let me leave, she thought. Panic starting to rise, she turned the doorknob and started to head out. But he had already crossed the room and pushed the door shut before she'd managed to get it competely open. Her pulse quickening, she took a fast step back looking for a way out. "Hey, hey. Calm down, I didn't mean it like that," he said in his deep voice, sensing her panic. "I thought it was clear by now I ain't gonna hurt ya." Looking into his eyes her heart started to slow back down. "Then what do you want? Why not let me leave?"  
He took his hand off the door, "I'm not keeping you prisoner, I just thought we'd come to the agreement it was safer for you to stay for a bit." She couldn't deny that there was no way her father could do anything to her with this guy around but still, she didn't trust men. What did this one want in return? "I'm sure I could make it out of the hotel. He's probably not expecting me to look like this," she said gesturing to her new hair color and cut. "If you were so certain of that you wouldn't have come back upstairs." She let out a heavy sigh, knowing he was right. She was afraid he'd suspect she changed her looks, and she knew she didn't look as different as she hoped. She bit her lip and pulled her backpack up to her chest and held it there in a protective manner once again, staring at the floor. Lost in her thoughts, she started slightly when she felt Riddick's hand on her shoulder, guiding her to sit on the bed. "Why don't you tell me your story?" he suggested as he sat on the opposite bed. She looked up, he'd put his goggles back on as he'd turned on the lamp next to the bed. What did she have to lose? She took a deep breath. "Ok."

As he listened to her story Riddick was once again angry with himself, and he was starting to be angry that he was angry with himself so often in the last two days. He'd had the pefect opportunity to let her walk out of his life and forget all about her and he'd stopped her. This wasn't who he was. Though... She wasn't the first girl he'd met who was in trouble. And I risked my neck for her too, didn't I, he thought. He shook his head, he'd figure out his plan in the morning, the room was already paid for the night. Figured he'd let her get a good nights sleep at least. Maybe give her a few tips before leaving in the morning.

"And so I'm just trying to avoid him for three weeks. I'll be 18 and he can't touch me," Jessie sighed as she finished her story. Watching the man across from her carefully to see his reaction. But he showed no outward emotion. Just sat on the bed with his arms folded across his chest. With his goggles on she couldn't read anything in his eyes, obviously. As she watched him, waiting for a response she caught herself following the contours of his muscles with her eyes. This man was the embodiment of male perfection. What am I doing, she wondered. Since when did she care what a man looked like. But somehow, in spite of her fear, being around this man was somewhat calming. What she feared in him was his strength, knowing she'd wouldn't have a prayer if he did do something. But he hadn't even stood closer to her since bringing her in his room earlier. She knew deep down that she didn't have to fear him. She just wasn't used to that. She still couldn't figure out why he'd helped her either time. She was no one to him. And he didn't exactly have the Good Samaritan attitude. Her fear was starting to disappear all together and for a moment she caught herself thinking about how easily he could hold her anywhere he wanted with his powerful arms. And she almost liked the thought.

Riddick watched her eyes as she looked him over. Watched the way her eyes sparkled in the lamplight. Watched the expression within her eyes as she continued to look him over. He smirked as she looked away with a blush rising in her cheeks. It'd been a while since he'd had a woman think that way, he thought. Most never got past being afraid of him. This one was getting there. "Why don't you get some sleep?" he offered. "Start fresh in the morning." He watched her think it over, relieved, when she agreed. "Good, cause I'm tired," he replied unlacing his boots and setting them right next to his bed, where he could reach them in an instant.

Jessie watched as the man across the way pulled down the blankets and placed a shiv under his pillow. She placed her backpack at the foot of her bed and placed her jacket over it. Her shoes, she laid neatly next to them. She turned back to ask Riddick a question and stopped short. His back turned to her, she couldn't help watching as he pulled his shirt off and lay it across the headboard. Blushing heatedly she spun quickly to turn down the blankets on her bed. She laid down but didn't cover up. Without another word to her Riddick laid down and turned off the lights. 


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter is a little rough. Kind of a transition. Hope it's enjoyable still. Let me know what you guys think! Reviews are appreciated!  
O.O

Jessie lay staring at the ceiling in the dark. Trying to sort things out in her head. Listening to the deep even breathing of the man in the other bed, she thought of all that had transpired since she'd left. How had her father found her so quickly? Sure he could trace the ticket but how did he notice her absence so soon? What about Riddick? She knew nothing about this man. He'd kept her hidden from her father, saved her really. Twice. her mind flashed back to the alley... How he'd... She shuddered remembering the sound. Had she gone crazy? Since when is a good idea to bunk with strange men you meet on flights. The guy obviously didn't mind killing. She wondered what she'd gotten herself into. And as the mind often does, she had a sudden revelation that had nothing to do with that memory. My pack, she thought... How he knew when I left, where, even the hotel I was staying in so soon... He should have moved on looking for me. Does he know I'm in the hotel? She quietly slipped out of bed and picked up her pack, taking it into the bathroom, looking back to make sure she hadn't woken Riddick. She carefully pushed the door almost shut being very careful not to make any noise. Feeling along the bottom of the bag and around all the seams, she was searching for a tracking device. As another thought started to creep into her mind...

Riddick lay in bed listening to the shallow breathing of the woman in the next bed. Certain that he'd lost his mind he was deep in thought when he noticed her sliding out of her bed and glancing his way. What was she doing? He watched her pick up her backpack and look his way again. He guessed she couldn't see his eyes were open in the dark. But he saw her. She didn't fully close the door. Propping up on his elbow he saw her sit down on the floor and start flipping her pack around looking at it... What was she doing? He was so silent in getting out of bed and walking to the door she never suspected he was standing behind her. He pushed the door open soundlessly and leaned against the frame, watching her.

She didn't know how long he'd been standing there when she sensed him. She turned to look up at him from her seat on the floor. "It's not nice to spy on people, you know." She glared at him a little angry that he'd been watching her. And then unwillingly her eyes glided over his still shirtless torso. She couldn't deny she liked what she saw. Until his dark muscled form simply shrugged off her remark, "It's not nice to sneak around in the dark when you're someone's guest." His voice was even and deep as always, irritating her. She didn't know what was upsetting her really, other than the fact that he had startled her. And with her suspicions starting her instinct was defense. She stood up and walked to the door to go out, stopping and staring at him when he didn't move out of her way.

Riddick raised one arm up to lean on the door frame, completely at ease, towering over the angry young woman in front of him. He didn't understand why she'd gotten angry so quickly. What had she been doing? He half smirked, amused at her anger. "Hobby of yours to sit on the bathroom floor looking at your bag for no apparent reason?" he asked, leaning a fraction of an inch towards her, amused further when she took a bold step towards him. "Hobby of yours to spy on people?" she retorted. He raised both his eyebrow and shrugged, trying not to laugh as her jawline tensed in response to his nonchalance. She was fiery. He crossed his arms and leaned on one shoulder against the door frame. He wasn't letting her by until she told him what she was doing. And he was enjoying the little annoyance it caused her. He'd always liked having the upperhand in things. And though he wouldn't admit it, it was kind of cute when she was irritated. "Nothing terribly fascinating about that pack," he stated.

Why wouldn't he let her by? It wasn't his business what she did. Of course there was no reason not to tell him. He had no reason to guess her suspicions other than her actions. He wasn't gonna let her go until she told him though. She gritted her teeth. "Fine," she huffed. "If you must know, I was looking for a tracking device." She started to walk past expecting him to move since she'd told him, stopping abruptly when he didn't. Her suspicions were starting to grow when he wouldn't let her by. Instead he grabbed both sides of the door frame, "A what?" he asked. Like he hadn't even heard her. "A tracking device. Device used for tracking. Now will you please let me past?" She pushed against him and he stepped to one side letting her by. "Did you find it?" She grabbed her shoes and jacket and started putting them on. "No, I guess I was wrong." She stated briskly. "Where ya going?" he asked as he watched her tie the laces in her shoes. "I'm leaving." He didn't say anything as she pulled her jacket on, grabbed her bag and headed out the door. She was surprised he'd let her go.

Riddick watched her leave. Wondering how long it would be before she came back. What if she doesn't come back he wondered. Oh well, one side of him thought callously. The other side hoping she'd be ok. The girl doesn't have a chance on her own, he thought. And he wanted to know why'd she'd just decided to leave him with no explanation. He'd done nothing to her and given her no reason to distrust him. He'd stuck his neck out for her even. So she didn't know who he was, she still knew that he'd protected her. Twice. Without bothering to lace them he'd grabbed his boots and pulled them on, growling softly, he was out the door just moments after she'd left. He caught up to her heading out of the building. "Hey!" She turned around, obviously surprised to hear his voice behind her. "Where are you going? Don't you think you at least owe me an explanation? Hmm?" he asked with an edge in his voice. He was really irritated now that he thought about it. After all he'd done for her she was walking out like a sulking brat. "What's your problem?" he asked in a gruff tone.

What's my problem? Jessie thought. What does he mean? Freakin' weirdo, stalking me. Taking care of you, one side argued. What if he's really working for your father? It was the first time she'd actually finished the thought. Why else would a guy like him follow you around and save your neck. Chivalry is long dead in this galaxy. Why wouldn't he let her leave? "What's my problem?" she asked, a little louder than she'd intended. She looked around quickly, thankful it was the middle of the night. No one in the lobby. "What's my problem?" she repeated, taking a step towards him. "My problem is I don't know anything about you. You show up out of nowhere to save my life, then kidnap me, hide me, suggest I stay, freely with no restrictions and then won't let me leave when I want." She was mad now, the more she thought about it. Not realizing she might have sounded a little silly. Without another word to her Riddick turned and started for the stairs. Angry she watched him go. Then turned and walked out the door of the hotel. 


	8. Chapter 8

Hope that you guys like this chapter. I'd appreciate reviews to know what you guys think. Let me know if I should keep going. 0.0

The night air was so cold it took her breath away as she stepped outside. Jessie was now very confused with herself. She'd been growing suspicious that Riddick had been working for her father and that was why he'd been following her. But now he had just let her walk away. He'd actually been the one to walk out on her. If she was wrong, then she deserved that. She was almost convinced that she was wrong. If she wasn't he put on a very good act. She started walking. Feeling bad for the way she'd treated him. Walking out with no explanation really. Just some ranting. But what did she care. The man was no one to her. He'd done her a favor. She appreciated that. Time to move on and take care of herself. She hadn't found a tracking device on her bag anywhere. Hopefully her father had just gotten lucky in getting that close to her. In a city this large she was hoping to blend in for a couple of weeks and earn some money for a flight to another planet. She was sure she could do something like waitressing. She was smart enough to get along. Yeah, right. She'd already almost been caught once and worse. Speaking of which... She had noticed two men following her. She knew this city was known for it's lawlessness, but this was ridiculous. She hadn't been here for two full days yet. She quickened her pace a little, hoping to get somewhere public before the two men knew she was onto them. Where am I gonna go in the middle of the night? She looked around, there was nothing. Barely even any street lights. Maybe I could make it back to the hotel. At least there people would hear me. I hope. She quickly turned the corner, hoping to double back. She had just enough time to see out of the corner of her eye that the men had started to walk faster. As soon as she was around the corner she bolted into a dead run. By the time the men had come around the corner she was already at the end of the block running back to the hotel. However they were fast in catching up. She could see the hotel when she felt one of the men grab her from behind. "Help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Shut up!" She heard a rough voice say as he dragged her backwards. Covering her mouth with his hand as the other man tried to grab her feet to carry her. She kicked him hard in the face as she bit the first man's hand as hard as she could. She tasted blood as the man yelped and let go. She started to run for the hotel again when the first man tackled her to the ground. She screamed again. She was so stupid! She shouldn't have wondered out in the middle of the night. She struggled against the man as he pulled her to her feet and backhanded her so hard she saw stars. As she stumbled backwards the second man came up to grab her. Her head reeling a little from the blow she threw a punch to the man's nose. She missed and punched him in the eye, which stunned him for a moment. The first man had grabbed her from behind. She'd managed to slip out of her backpack and he fell backwards as he pulled. As he crashed to the ground she kicked the other man in the stomach as hard as she could manage and took off once again for the hotel, praying she could make it inside. Someone would surely hear her in there. She'd made it just a few feet when she felt her legs knocked out from under her. She tried to shield her head as much as she could in the mere second it took to hit the ground. She kicked out blindly making contact with something, a barrage of curses flew at her as hands grabbed at her feet. She started crawling forward kicking at the man along the way. She'd forgotten the first man as he came up and pulled her to her feet again. Grabbing her by her hair he slapped her hard again, she felt blood and tasted blood. Before she could even see straight he repeated the action. And once more. She was seeing stars, her head reeling. She screamed one last time, at least she hoped it had come out. She heard one of the men yell in pain as she fell to the ground and everything went dark.

Jessie awoke to a throbbing pain in her head. She didn't know how long she'd been unconcious for. She tried to open her eyes, finding the light made her head hurt worse. She felt around beside her until she could feel a table next to her. She felt a lamp and turned it off. Slowly she opened her eyes. The room was almost completely dark, save the streetlight through curtained window. However she was pretty certain that she was back in the hotel. "How's the head?"  
She jumped at the sound of the voice, causing her head to throb in an even more terrible pain. "It's been better," she replied as she eased back onto her pillow. "Guess I owe you a big thanks, huh?"  
Silence for a moment followed. As her eyes became adjusted to the darkness she could make out the form leaning across the room against the wall in the dim light. "I almost left you." She bit her lip and nodded to herself. "I wouldn't have blamed you. I was acting pretty stupid." There was a long silence that followed. Jessie was trying her hardest not to fall asleep again. She felt she shoud apologize to him, but she didn't know how to start. So just she just took a deep breath and went for it. "I'm sorry," she said as she eased into a sitting position. "I know it's not an excuse and you don't have to forgive me, but I don't know you and truthfully you're somewhat frightening." In response to this she heard a low deep chuckle. "Somewhat?" he asked, coming to sit on the bed across from her. "I must be losing my touch." She looked at him, perplexed. He wanted to frighten?

Riddick watched the young womans confused expression with amusement. She only found him 'somewhat' frightening. That was just proof she didn't know anything about him. He sat down on the bed looking at her. She looked awful. Those men hadn't been kind. More bruises covered her face. Her lower lip was swollen, though he'd wiped the blood off while she was unconcious. He had seriously thought about just leaving her when he heard her screaming from outside. He couldn't bring himself to listen and do nothing though. He still could not explain what caused him to care about what happened to her. He'd known her less than two days. She'd already been nothing but a pain in the neck. He could tell by her soft, even breathing she'd fallen back asleep. He wasn't surprised. That beating would have taken it out of lesser people. Lesser? he thought. What made her something more? She wasn't prepared to take care of herself. Actually she'd given those guys some pretty good marks. Standing up he walked over to lean against the sink in the kitchenette. She was strong, he knew that. That was part of the appeal. And she wasn't nearly as frightened of him as most people were. She's even attracted to me on some level, he thought. Maybe I am losing my touch. Or she just appreciates you. Even if she has a lousy way of showing it. He sighed and pushed the thoughts of her out of his mind. He had to make plans. He was leaving here tomorrow. Hopping a flight to Earth. It'd been awhile since he'd seen Jack. Almost a year. About time to pay her a visit. Last he'd heard from her she was still there. What about her? What was he going to do with Jessie? Why should he do anything with her? He'd rescued her numerous times now. Let her learn to take care of herself. Oh, well. He had a few hours before he had to worry about that. He kicked his boots off and laid down to sleep. Though it did not come easily.

When she woke up the sun had started to shine through the window. The deep red of the curtains causing the room to turn a blush color. It was soothing. Jessie looked over at the bed next to her and saw that Riddick was still asleep. She figured he would have slipped off in the night. She was pleasantly surprised to see him still there. She lay silently for a moment watching the even rise and fall of his chest with every breath. He slept on his back. One hand tucked behind his head, under his pillow. She imagined it was to keep hold of his shiv while he slept. The other hand laid across his stomach. He'd fallen asleep with his shirt on this time. Black was a good color for him. She almost laughed out loud at that thought. What other color would he wear? She slowly propped herself up on her elbow, waiting for the searing pain, but it had subsided to just a dull ache. She silently slipped out of bed, she saw he'd brought her bag in. Gently picking it up she went into the bathroom, closing the door with extra caution not to wake the sleeping man. When she sat her bag on the counter she noticed that the side had been cut open. Hmm. She'd need a new bag. She pulled out her change of clothes and turned on the shower. Looking at herself in the mirror she cringed. Wow, she looked rough. She climbed into the shower.

When she walked back into the room she saw what she had feared earlier. Riddick was gone. The bed neat. Looked like he'd never been in the room to start with. What did she expect? He was gonna hang around like her personal bodyguard or something. She was hoping to have at least said goodbye. Good thing she was used to disappointment. She looked at the clock. 7:12 a.m. Good a time as any to hit the road. She packed up her stuff and pulled her hat down low. Hand on the doorknob she took a deep breath, which halfway through become a startled gasp when the door opened. She had to stumble back to avoid being knocked over. Riddick was standing there with an eyebrow raised. "In a hurry?" he asked in the same even tone as always. Jessie took a step back to look at him, "I thought you'd left." He closed the door and stepped inside. "I did, but I'm back." He tossed a piece of paper at her. "Glad you're already packed," he said as he pulled his bag from under the bed. She looked at the paper. It was a flight ticket. To Earth. "What's this?" she asked. "You don't know a ticket when you see one?" He walked over to the door, turned waiting on her. Still planted where she'd stumbled to when he walked in she looked at him confused. "Yeah, I know a ticket. Why are you giving it to me?" He looked at her as though he couldn't believe she'd asked it. "So you can get outta this hell-hole?" he suggested. "Unless you're takin' a likin' to it."  
Before she could respond he walked over to her and gently pulled the hat off her head. "You look pretty rough."  
She huffed and grabbed her hat back from him. "Just what every woman wants to hear," she said rolling her eyes. He looked somewhat amused. She liked that look. She was surprised when he reached out and gently ran a finger along her cheek. "You took quite a beatin'. But you did good." He smiled at her and taking her hat from her placed it back on her head. "Let's get outta here. The flight leaves in an hour." She stood for just a moment watching the man ahead of her disappear through the door. What had just happened? 


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews! They're really encouraging. I know that in the movies it took weeks to get to different  
planets, but I sped it up for the purpose of the story. This is just a little chapter for Jessie and Riddick to bond and  
figure out a little bit more about each other. I hope you like it. :)

The trip to the port didn't take too long, even on foot. Jessie noticed how Riddick kept her behind him, in a  
shielding manner. She enjoyed the feeling of safety that the action provided. She didn't really stop to think if she  
should go with him or not, it was her ticket outta here. She was thankful for whatever reason he had for helping  
her. She couldn't wait to get off of this planet. Since Riddick had bought the ticket she didn't have to worry about  
her father tracing where she went. Things were starting to look up a little bit. She allowed herself to smile  
contentedly at the current situation.

As he walked through the busy streets Riddick contemplated the actions he had taken. Why was he bringing her  
along? Earth would get her away from her father and he was sure she could find a place to work and stay there.  
Jack had found her a steady place. He visited her often on Earth, though the visit had been delayed this time. He  
was happy to be going to see the girl again. Maybe she could help Jessie get something set up. He thought about the  
time he'd met Jack. That had been quite an adventure. Almost 6 years ago. That made her 18. She and Jessie might  
hit it off real well. He'd stay a few days, maybe help out. Couldn't stay in one place too long. Had that price on his  
head, but he could stay long enough to visit Jack, he thought of the girl as his little sister. She was the only reason  
he wished he had a more stable life.

They were on the ship in no time. Seated in silence, side by side. Jessie looked over at Riddick. He seemed  
incredibly comfortable with the silence, though he had his goggles down so she couldn't read any expression in his  
eyes. She wanted so badly to ask him about his eyes. They were mesmerizing. The silvery shine. She also wanted to  
ask him about why he'd brought her along. Offering her safe passage to another system. She was beyond grateful to  
him.  
"How long is the flight to Earth?" she asked out of curiosity.  
She watched Riddick turn to her as he spoke. She was discovering she enjoyed watching him do a lot of things.  
"About 17 hours. It's not too bad, but longer than I'd prefer," he answered, he continued to look at her after he'd  
answered her. To her surprise he reached over and lifted the brim of her hat so that it didn't hide her face. "Don't  
hide. It's not the way to live a life," he said as he turned back around. She looked at him for a long moment, making  
no reply, thinking to the moment in the hotel room just before they'd left. She reached up absent mindedly,  
touching her cheek where his fingers had traced. He'd been so gentle in that moment, it was hard to believe he was  
so distant most of the time. She decided to leave her hat up the way he'd set it. They were in the back of the ship,  
she didn't think they'd draw any attention. She was tired and they were about to take off, she felt quite safe. She  
was also feeling very tired and incredibly sore from the fight last night. She leaned her head against her seat and  
closed her eyes, relaxing completely in what seemed like ages to her.

Riddick watched the young woman next to him lean back against her seat. She looked peaceful. He found himself  
almost smiling at the picture and found himself wanting to brush the stray hair out of her face, but resisted the  
urge. It still irritated him that she had this effect on him. He wasn't supposed to care. That only ever got you hurt.  
There was only one person in his life that he cared about, one person he trusted, one person who'd never done him  
wrong. That girl was his only family. He thought about it a moment. Jack was a grown woman now, guessed he'd  
have to stop thinking of her as little girl. He missed her a lot. Couldn't wait for the flight to land. Knowing the visit  
would be much too short. He settled in for the long flight. He never slept on flights. Didn't trust the people around  
him enough. He looked over at Jessie again. She appeared to be asleep. Her breathing soft and even. She was really  
a very pretty girl. He wished she'd kept her hair natural color. It looked good on her. But he knew well what lengths  
you'd go to to keep someone from recognizing you. The dark hair made her look even more pale. He liked the white  
of her skin, but the bruises that marred it... They looked terrible. Especially the ones from last night. He smiled to  
himself. She'd certainly put up a fight. He knew there were many women who wouldn't have been able to handle it.  
And of course if he hadn't showed up when he didn't there was no telling what would have happened. But she was a  
fighter none the less and he admired that in her.

Jessie didn't know how long she'd dozed off for, but they were in flight when she awakened. She blushed slightly  
when she realized her head was laying on the shoulder of the man next to her. She glanced up to find him looking at  
her. Almost smiling. She smiled a little back. "Sorry," she said as she straightened up and adjusted her hat, trying  
to look neat. "No reason to be," he replied. She hoped the blush in her cheeks wasn't terribly visible. Knowing it  
probably was. Her porcelain skin betrayed all emotions. She looked away, pretending to look around the ship with  
interest. "How long have we been flying?"  
He looked down at the watch on his wrist. "About 4 hours."  
She'd managed to sleep for four hours, wow. Still had 13 hours to go. She wished the flight was over. She was always  
nervous in flight. However she found a part of herself not wanting it to be over, knowing when it was Riddick had  
no reason to stay with her. He didn't have a reason now, she knew, but he was helping her find a new start. She  
would miss him when he left, and she didn't doubt he would. He was the loner type, she knew. She was curious why  
he was going to Earth. She was curious about a lot of things about him but was afraid to ask. She didn't want him  
to get mad at her. Surely, he could just tell her if he didn't wanna talk. He wouldn't get mad at her for asking, would  
he?  
She decided to take her chances. "What's on Earth?" she asked.  
"What do you mean?" he asked her back. Not sure what kind of answer she wanted. "Why are you headed to  
Earth?" she rephrased.  
He shrugged as he replied, "Old friend to see." She nodded to herself. "Can I ask you why your eyes are like that?"  
He looked at with no reply for a long moment. "Maybe another time I'll tell you that." With that he turned back  
around and she didn't feel he'd answer anymore questions.

They spent a couple of hours in silence. Riddick watched the other passengers, he always kept his eyes on the  
surroundings. There weren't many others on the flight. He was happy about that. Fewer people to notice him. He  
was happy that he was lesser known in this area of space. He didn't mind his reputation but it was nicer to leave  
when he saw fit instead of when some mercs saw fit. He'd spent so much of his life in prison and on the run he  
wasn't sure he would ever settle down somewhere if he could. No, a rogue's life was what he lived.  
He wondered what the girl next to him would think if she knew who he was. He was surprised she hadn't made a  
connection yet. Guess he really wasn't well known around here. That made him feel a little more at ease, but he was  
always on guard. He glanced over at the girl briefly. She looked to be in deep thought. Her brow furrowed slightly.  
He was glad that she hadn't pressed the matter about his eyes. He was thankful the whole way around that she  
wasn't overly talkative. That was just one more thing he liked about her versus others her age. Don't get too  
attached, he warned himself. He already had one person to be concerned about in the universe. He didn't need to  
add to that.  
He glanced down at his watch. They had another 6 hours of flight. He was getting tired of sitting, but didn't feel like  
making himself more known on the ship by walking around.

Jessie sighed. She was ready for this flight to be over. She was stiff and sore. Her muscles ached from last night. She  
noted from Riddick's watch that they had another 4 hours to go.  
Lost in her own thoughts it took her a minute to realize that Riddick was talking to her. "I'm sorry, what did you  
say?" she asked turning in her seat to face him. "I asked you if you had any work experience. I've got a friend on  
Earth who might be able to help you get set up if you've got some experience." She shook her head in response. "No,  
I was never allowed to get a job. But I know how to work and I'm a fast learner." He nodded at her. "Good. You and  
Jack should get along well. You've got a lot in common."  
"Jack? He the old friend you're going to see?" as she asked she watched an amused look sneak across his face.  
"Yes, Jack is the one I'm going to see. She's a good friend."  
Jack's a she? Hmm. "Oh, I just thought- Well, you obviously know," she simply stated. He laughed softly, good  
naturedly. She liked the deep sound.  
"You know, I owe you a huge thank you. You've saved my life a couple of times now. I thought chivalry died out a  
long time ago."  
"It did. I'm not normally the chivalrous kind of guy. Couldn't tell you why I was this time."  
She nodded and turned back to her seat. "Well, I still owe you thanks."  
"You're welcome."

As the flight landed and they prepared to disembark she knew she'd miss him when he left and she was really  
nervous about starting her new life here.


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the reviews. It's super great to read the encouragement. Sorry it's been so long since my last update. The holidays keep me busy. Hope everyone had a great Christmas time! :) Enjoy this chapter. Hope that Jack doesn't disappoint. Let me know what you think. :)

They sat in the back of the bus, riding together in silence. Jessie was nervous about meeting Jack. She'd made Riddick let her stop and get some make up before they'd boarded the bus. She'd covered as many of the bruises as she could. She didn't want to be seen as a victim by anyone. Somewhat resenting that  
Riddick had seen her that way.  
She wondered what this girl would be like. A girl who had a boys name. Well, someone named Jessie couldn't really comment on that. She watched out the window as the scenery of downtown flew by. She'd never been on Earth before but her mother had been born there. She would have loved to see more of the planet, but for now all she saw was this city. She hadn't paid much attention to where they'd landed at the time. NYC maybe?  
Before too long however, they were pulling up at a mechanic shop. Large place, with broken down cars all over. The smell of grease and oil met them as they stepped off the bus. Riddick walked on ahead of her and called out "Hey, Jack. Get yourself out here!"  
Jessie slowly followed him towards the open doors of the garage and watched as an athletic, dark haired woman gave out a whoop and ran towards Riddick.  
When she reached him she jumped up and hugged him, wrapping her legs around his waist. Jessie was surprised to see such an act of affection by the man when he returned the hug. He was laughing when he sat the girl back on the ground. Jessie took a moment to survey her. About 5'5. Lean, dark hair, darker eyes, muscled, tan and killer body. She wore her curled hair back in a loose pony, and her face was smeared with grease. Even so she was a lovely creature.  
Jessie didn't wonder that Riddick would travel so far to see the girl.  
As she walked up to were Riddick and the girl were talking, the girl turned to face her. "Who's this?" she asked Riddick, looking Jessie up and down.  
Riddick turned, almost like he'd forgotten he'd brought the girl with him. "Oh, this is Jessie. Picked her up in a similar manner to you," he said with some amusement in his voice. "This is Jack," he said to Jessie, gesturing to the girl ahead of him. The girl extended her hand, which Jessie shook and smiled at her. "Nice to meet you," Jessie offered.  
The girl just shrugged, "Any friend of the big guy here, " she replied.  
Riddick laughed. "Come on, go get cleaned up and I'll take you to dinner and tell ya about it."  
The girl smiled and threw her grease rag at him. "You ashamed to be seen with me like this?" she asked teasingly as she walked away.  
Jessie watched the girl run back into the shop and turned to look at Riddick. "She seems friendly enough."  
Riddick looked down at Jessie, she was reminded of how tall he was. "Yeah. She's a good kid. Not so much a kid anymore really," he said, looking after her. "Saved her neck once upon a time too," he remarked. "Come on, you can leave your stuff in here until after dinner."  
Jessie followed Riddick into the garage.

Riddick was happy to see Jack. The girl always put him in a good mood whether he wanted to be or not. He smiled to himself. She'd certainly grown up in the last year. He was happy to see she was still holding a steady job. She was co-owner of this little shop. Might as well have been full owner since her partner was a lazy, drunken bum that never showed up. At least he didn't bother her either.  
As he walked into the garage Riddick tossed his bag onto one of the tool benches, indicating to Jessie that she could do the same. He then sat down on one of the stools in the corner to wait for Jack to get ready. Hmm. He had a weakness, apparently, for helping young, runaway girls with boys names. He smiled softly to himself at the similarities between Jack and Jessie. Jack was lucky enough to get out at a younger age, but then she'd had to grow up on the streets longer than Jessie. However she had learned to handle herself well, at a young age. Riddick was, in a way, quite proud of the young woman.  
He turned to look at Jessie, who was standing quietly across the way from him. "You can sit if you like. It'll take her a minute to get ready," he gestured to a stool next to his. She nodded and walked over to sit down next to him. Still clutching her bag. "You can set the bag over there if you want." She smiled a little at him. "I'd rather keep it with me if you don't mind," she replied. He shrugged. "Don't make a difference to me."  
They sat in silence for a few moments together, waiting on Jack. Riddick looked the woman sitting next to him over again. Her black hair was pulled back behind her ears and her ever present hat sat on head, hiding most of her face. He knew she hated the bruises, saw them as a sign of weakness. He wished she'd change her mind on that. She survived what had given her those bruises, that was a sign of strength.  
He leaned back against the bench behind him, checking his watch. Jack was taking quite a while to get ready. Usually she'd be ready in 5 minutes. They'd been here for ten already.  
"You in the mood for anything in particular?" he asked Jessie, as he watched her fiddle with a strand of loose hair. She slowly shook her head, looking like she was lost in her own world.  
At that moment Jack made her appearance back in the garage. Riddick had to do a double take.

Jessie looked up at the girl coming down the stairs. She looked completely different from the girl that went up the stairs. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun. She had cleaned up and her eyes were now covered with smoky shadows and heavy liner. Blood red lips. Black choker above a plunging neckline of a black tank top which barely met a black mini skirt. The spike heeled boots were the finishing touch. The girl looked hot. Jessie looked down at her jeans and tank top. She didn't think she was dressed for wherever this girl wanted to go.  
She hadn't expected a friend of the man next to her to look like this. She looked over at him and guessed by the raised eyebrow that he hadn't expected it either. He pushed his goggles onto the top of his head as the evening light grew darker. "New wardrobe," he commented in his even voice. Jack smiled a dazzling smile at him. "Like it?" she asked, spinning so he could survey the whole outfit. He raised an eyebrow at her again. "It's different, that's for sure."  
With that comment, he stood up and reached for Jessie's hand. She was surprised by the gesture but accepted as he helped her down from the seat and took her bag. He sat it on the toolbench next to his own and walked out the door. Jessie followed him with Jack behind her locking up. "Where are we going?" she asked.  
"Xstasy, or just X for short," Jack replied without turning around. "It's a great little place where no one cares about other peoples business. Riddick enjoys that no one knows about him there."  
Jessie saw Riddick shoot Jack a warning look. Odd, Jessie thought. She wondered what there was to know about the man that he wouldn't want known.

Riddick walked along in the cool evening air. Nice night. Not too chilly, but not too warm. He looked at the girl walking next to him. What a change. When did this happen? Jack had always been the rough and tumble tomboy. Never had she dressed in such a manner. He wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of going to X, their normal hangout when he was in town. It was different when they just blended in. He didn't think she'd go unnoticed in that ensemble.  
Ah, well. If he needed to light out early he could. He'd done it more than once. He slowed his pace a little when he noticed that Jessie was walking a good distance behind them.  
In a moment the three of them were walking side by side. Riddick between the two girls. Jack hanging on his arm and chattering the whole way to X. Full of stories that she felt Riddick should hear about what when on in his absence. She was now sole owner of the shop. Bought the other guy out about 5 months ago. Got a lot of business. Doing well for listened, amused at the girls enthusiasm about life. Happy that she'd managed to find her place, it seemed. He hoped she'd help Jessie do the same. He'd be gone soon and he didn't want to leave the girl on her own.

Jessie walked next to Riddick, hearing Jack chattering. The girl seemed to be quite confident in her life. And she obviously had a thing for Riddick. She wondered how long the two had known each other.  
They had been walking about 20 minutes before they finally reached the place. Jessie wasn't sure she'd like the place. Judging by the look of the place it was a club. She wasn't even sure she could get in. She wasn't 21. Riddick knew her age though. And she just followed his lead when he walked up to the door and pushed it open. No one carded any of them. Jack walked in with confidence and Riddick knew no one would bother him. They headed to a table in the corner.  
Jessie hesitated only a moment before following closely behind. The place was crowded. Neon lights and strobes were everywhere. Techno music blaring. Looking around at the dancers on the floor and patrons at the bar Jessie felt very out of place in her jeans and shirt. Everyone here was in clubwear. Even Riddick fit in with his black pants and muscle shirt.  
As they sat down at the table she and Jack were next to each other and Riddick sat across from Jessie.  
Riddick leaned in towards her. "The food here is actually pretty good," he called over the music.  
"The drinks are better," Jack laughed, smiling at the girl. She smiled back at Jack. Relaxing a little.  
Soon they had all ordered and were eating and chatting about random subjects. Jessie realized she wasn't very good at small talk. But was happy enough to just listen to the others. Jack had ordered a drink. Riddick just ordered a beer, offering Jessie one. "What's your preference?" he asked.  
Jessie just shrugged. "I've never had one," she said simply. Riddick looked surprised and Jack's jaw dropped open in shock. "You're not serious," she said. Jessie just laughed and nodded. "I am."  
Jack shook her head. "We've got to change that. Don't we Riddick? Come on, what're ya drinking?" she asked, waiving a waitress in skimpy clothing over to the table.  
"Start on something light," Riddick advised as the waitress walked up. Jack nodded, not really paying attention.  
"Liquid cocaine for my girl here," Jack laughed, patting Jessie on the shoulder. "It's great!"  
"Easy, Jack," Riddick warned. He knew Jack was gonna be pretty wasted when they left. She always celebrated his return like that and he didn't want Jessie getting sick on him too. "Let her get used to the drinks first, ok?"  
Jack rolled her eyes at him. "Come on, she's gotta start the right way."  
Riddick sighed and turned to Jessie. "Take it easy, ok?"  
The young woman nodded. "Yeah, I don't think I'll take it up in a night," she smiled at him. He took a moment to admire the smile before returning it. He knew he was gonna end up caring about this girl just like he had Jack. Maybe not just like he did Jack, he briefly thought. He watched her sip the drink brought to her. She seemed to like it well enough. Jack was already ordering her second drink. And a whiskey chaser. He shook his head, smiled softly to himself. The girl was a wild one.  
After about a half hour, and 10 or 11 shots later Jack was pretty drunk. She got up and headed to the dance floor, stumbling slightly. Riddick took her vacated seat next to Jessie who was working on her 2nd drink. He himself had ordered a 2nd beer as well.  
"So, what do you think of Jack?" he asked.  
Looking to the dance floor as she replied, "I think she's a free spirit for sure." Riddick chuckled at the statement. That was one thing Jack certainly was.  
"Is Jack her real name? Or is it like a nickname for Jackie or Jaclyn or something?" Jessie asked.  
"Her real name was Audrey once upon a time. When I met her she was runnin' away from home, pretending to be a boy named Jack. It's just stuck with her ever since." Riddick explained simply. He didn't really know why she'd never chosen to go back to her actual name or even pick another girls name. Whatever the reason Jack is who she was. It never bothered her and it certainly didn't bother him.  
"You guys got a thing going?" she asked without thinking. Riddick didn't seem bothered by the question. "I've watched her grow up from a kid. She's like my  
sister."  
"Ah," was the only reply Jessie made.  
"How's the drink?" Riddick asked, curious how she was holding up. She'd taken her jacket off and was talking more freely so he knew the drink was having some effect.  
"It's pretty good," she replied tossing her hair back over her shoulder.  
"How're you holding up?" he asked with a smile. He delighted in the warm smile he received back. "I don't feel a thing," she replied. "So I guess I'm doing ok."  
She giggled a little. Riddick smiled and nodded his head. She was a little drunk. He watched her lean back in her chair. She looked good in dark lighting of the room. He knew there had been guys looking her way ever since she'd walked in despide the modest attire.

Jessie was starting to feel carefree. Wondering if it was a result of the drink. She watched Jack out on the dance floor. She had just jumped with a bunch of different girls who were out dancing dirty.  
She know noticed that some guys had joined in. One dancing on either side of her. Jessie blushed at the provocative dance moves. Jack seemed to be having the time of her life though.  
Jessie thought about joining her. She looked over at Riddick. "I'm gonna guess you're not much of a dancer," she finishing off her 3rd drink.  
Riddick shook his head. "Nah, I leave that to Jack."  
"Would you dance with me?" feeling bold and confident and knowing it was the drinks Jessie reached over and grabbed his arm, intending to pull him to the dance floor. Riddick resisted, as she knew he would, but had hoped he wouldn't. "As tempting as the thought may be, I prefer to stay off the floor."  
Jessie shrugged and placed his hands on her hips. "We could dance here?" she suggested, swaying a little to the music.

Riddick allowed his hands to rest there a moment, maybe longer than he should have before he came to his senses. It was time to get the girls in. It was late, they were both drunk. "Maybe another time," he said as gently as could.  
Jack had made her way to the bar with a couple of guys and downed a few more shots. Riddick could see that even the seasoned drinker was starting to stagger. He turned back to Jessie who'd sat back down when he refused to dance. "I think we should all be getting back," he said. "I'm gonna grab Jack and we can head out, ok?"  
Jessie just nodded, looking a little disappointed.  
He went up to the bar and tapped on Jack's shoulder. The guy on her left took a step back with one look at him. "Hey,  
Jack. What do you say we head out?" he asked. Jack turned around looking disappointed. "Already?" she pouted. "I was having fun." But she turned and walked with him, leaving some very disappointed guys at the bar.  
He walked both girls out of the club. Jack stumbling and laughing. Riddick all but carried her the whole back to the garage.  
He took the keys and unlocked the garage, walking the girls in. He turned to lock the door behind them. "Uh, Riddick?" Jessie called from behind him. He turned to see Jack asleep on the other girls shoulder. He laughed softly. "She always liked to celebrate my visits." He grabbed her arm and threw it around his neck, lifting the girl onto his shoulders. "You mind unlocking the apartment door?" he asked, nodding towards the door upstairs.  
Jessie walked ahead of him. "No, no problem." She stumbled only slightly on her way up the stairs. Riddick thought she was doing pretty good for someone who'd never drank before.

Jessie walked up the stairs and unlocked the door, pushing it open and turning on the lights so that Riddick could carry Jack in. She looked around the living area of the apartment. It wasn't huge, but spacious enough. Very pleasant, Jessie thought. She closed the door behind Riddick. "Make yourself at home," he called over his shoulder as he carried the sleeping form through the door on the far side of the room. She looked around at the comfortable furnishings and  
sat down on the sofa. She heard the creaking of bed springs as Riddick laid Jack on her bed. She watched through the open door as he pulled her boots and choker off and then covered the girl up. She smiled at the sight of such a man being so gentle.  
She curled up and leaned her against the back of the couch and was asleep the moment her eyes closed.

Riddick walked back into the living room. Shutting the door to Jack's room behind him. Saw Jessie asleep on the couch. Poor girl must be worn out. He went downstairs and got their bags, shutting off all the lights. Tomorrow was Sat. He knew that Jack would open late, if at all. Locked everything up secure and went back upstairs. He picked Jessie up and carried her to the 2nd bedroom and laid her on the bed. Taking her shoes off he went to pull the covers up. She awakened and protested about the bed. "I'll just sleep on the couch, I'm the guest. I'm sure Jack would want you to have the bed." He ignored her and pulled the blankets up around her as he eased her back onto the pillow. "I'll sleep where I want, hush." She was alseep almost intantly. He walked back into the living room and grabbed a pillow and blanket out of the closet where Jack kept her spare. He knew this apartment so well. Brought a twinge of sadness that he could never stay and make a home. It wasn't often he felt sentimental. Must have been the beer.  
He settled into his bed on the couch, laying awake and thinking of his next move. He knew he could never get too comfortable in one spot. He sighed and tried to relax.  
Somewhere early in the morning sleep finally overcame him.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the long delay between updates. Life gets crazy sometimes. Thanks for the reviews. :) I really hope you guys like this chapter. It was a little harder  
for me. Trying to get the flow right. It's kind of long. I hope it doesn't mess with the flow of the story. Let me know what you think. Good or bad, reviews are appreciated. :) Hope you enjoy!

Jessie awoke the next morning with a headache like she'd never had before. She lay in bed a for a moment, wondering where she was. The memories of the  
previous night came flooding back to her. So this is a hangover. Ugh.  
She was thankful that the windows were covered with heavy curtains. She knew the light would kill her head. She was quite tempted to stay in bed for the  
day. Somehow she found the will to climb out of bed and head off to find her bag so she could shower. As she walked into the living room she found Riddick  
still asleep on the couch. Sleeping in the same position as before, on his back, one hand under the pillow. She guessed he had a shiv under there. She  
wondered what kind of life he'd led to always have him on guard.  
She started for the door when she noticed her shoes and bag set neatly up against the wall. Smiling she grabbed the bag and headed to shower. She noticed  
through the open door that Jack was still asleep as well.

Riddick awakened to the sound of running water and the scent of lavender shampoo. Very pleasant way to awaken. He rolled over and saw Jack still asleep  
through the door. He knew she'd be out for a while and not in a good mood when she did wake up. He didn't envy her the headache headed her way. He  
got up and headed to the kitchen. Omelets were an easy breakfast.  
When he had finished cooking he heard the water shut off in the bathroom. The steamy smell of lavender filled the apartment.  
And for the briefest moment Riddick found himself thinking of the body covered in that steam. Her pale skin, the way it would feel... What was he doing?  
He was no stranger to women, he'd known his fair share over the years, but she was usually a fellow inmate or someone he picked up in a bar. Not someone  
like her. No one like her.  
He shook his head to clear the thoughts and went about setting the table.

Jessie climbed out of the shower and started toweling off. She felt much better after the hot shower. She silently thanked whoever invented showers. As she  
dressed she looked in the mirror. The bruise around her eye was starting to fade a little. Wasn't as painful either. She still hated it.  
Covering it up with makeup she didn't worry about the ones down her body, they were easy to hide. None of them were greatly painful, except the one just  
above her hip on the right side. That bruise seemed to never go away. Was always sensitive to touch. She'd often wondered if it was a birthmark.  
She suddenly noticed her stomach growling when she caught a whiff of something cooking. Smelled delicious. She finished the makeup and quickly brushed  
her hair and dressed. As she was about to exit she heard Jack's voice asking "So what's the deal with this girl anyway?"  
Curious to know what he'd say she listend for Riddick's reply. She guessed his voice was too low because she didn't hear him answer, just Jack laugh and  
respond. "Ah, you've gone soft, Riddick," she giggled. "Been outta prison too long?"  
Jessie was a little shocked, but realised it made perfect sense. Of course he'd been in prison. That explained his attitude and always being on edge. Wow.  
She'd been planet hopping with a convict. The convict had been better t her than any other man she'd ever met. She couldn't hold it against him for not  
telling her, she hadn't asked and had accepted his help very willingly.  
She took a deep breath and decided that was as good a time as any to enter.

When Jack stopped midsentence Riddick turned to see Jessie coming out of the bathroom wearing a shy smile. "Hi." She looked so lovely like that, Riddick  
thought. Jeans and loose sweatshirt. Barefeet. He smiled. "Hi. You hungry?" he asked gesturing to the food on the table. Jack was already sat down and  
eating. "Uh, yeah. Thanks. Smells great."  
He watched her sit down in the chair across from him, she'd done her best to cover the bruises, they still lingered along her neck and shoulders that were  
visible above the collar of her shirt.  
It angered him to think of the way they'd been inflicted on her. He felt the hate for the man who'd done it start to grow. "You guys enjoy, I'm gonna shower."  
He grabbed his bag and headed off to the bathroom.  
Turning the water on, he just stood and let it pour over him for a while. Enjoying the feel of the hot water on his muscles, stiff from sleeping on the sofa. It  
was comfortable for sitting, but not for sleeping.  
As he stood in the shower he just let the water pour over him. He needed to get out of here, away from both of them. The feelings were always worse after a  
visit with Jack. The lonliness. The wish for a steady place.  
He hated to ever admit, even to himself that he wished for these things. It was a weakness to feel this way and that would only get him into more trouble.  
He'd just have to pack up and cut the visit short. Maybe leave in the morning. One last day.  
He closed his eyes and let the water wash away the thoughts.

Jessie and Jack were eating in a pleasant enough silence. Jessie was trying to remember what she'd done last night and Jack was just trying to keep the pain  
in her head to a minimum. Jessie looked over at the silent girl next to her. She still had traces of last nights make up on her face. She was dressed in jeans  
and a shirt that looked like a 2nd skin it was so tight. Jessie blushed when she realized the girl next to her was not wearing a bra. Jessie couldn't imagine  
going without a bra.  
There was a faint buzzing sound from downstairs. Jack groaned loudly and pushed up from the chair. "Freakin' customers this early..." she muttered walking  
towards the door. Jessie stifled a giggle. 'This early' was noon.  
She started to gather up the dirty dishes as Jack went down to see who was there.  
Jessie hoped she didn't seem forward but wanted to do something to repay how kind they were being to her. As she worked she thought about how Jack had  
just taken her in no questions asked because Riddick had brought her. That showed a great trust. That kind of trust was rare.  
"When I said make yourself at home I didn't mean you had to do the work," Riddick's voice broke into her thoughts. She smiled as she turned to reply to him,  
temporarily forgetting what she was saying to see him standing shirtless in the door way of the bathroom, steam billowing out around him. That was a sight  
worth seeing... She felt a slight blush creep into her cheeks, she had a feeling she'd acted on those thoughts last night. At least slightly. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she turned back to the dishes. "I'm glad to help," was her reply.  
Before either could say anything else Jack came back in, looking slightly upset.

Riddick watched the girl who'd burst through the front door with raised eyebrows, a warning going off in the back of his head. Jack didn't worry over nothing.  
"What's up?" he asked her.  
"Thought you said you'd ditched her followers," Jack replied. "Some jerk just came to the garage, flashing her picture and askin' if I'd seen her."  
Riddick glanced over to Jessie to see she'd gone white and was leaning against the kitchen counter. "What'd he look like?" Riddick asked, watching Jack go  
back to her plate.  
"Well, he was kinda tall. I'd say 6 foot. Dark hair, medium build. Dark eyes, scar on his cheek."  
Riddick smiled at the girls attention to detail. Another thing he was proud of her for. She knew that the smallest detail could mean life or death. He glanced at  
Jessie again, she seemed to have regained her composure, mostly. Riddick sat down at the table next to Jack and slapped the chair next to him. "Sit down,"  
he told Jessie, she obeyed with no thought.  
"That your old man?" Jack asked as finished her meal. Jessie nodded mutely. Riddick had a strange urge to wrap her in his arms and tell her it would be ok.  
He'd keep her safe. And even though he knew he'd do his best to do it, didn't offer her any comfort at all for the moment. He suddenly backtracked his  
thoughts. When had he decided that he was gonna keep her safe?

"I don't know how he found me..." Jessie muttered, to herself mostly. "Of all the ships I could have taken, all the planets I could have visited, how'd he know  
where to find me?" She thought back to the idea of a tracking device. She'd searched her bag thouroughly. She was certain there wasn't one. She should  
look again just to be sure. She got up and headed to the bedroom. 'Where ya going?" Jack asked.  
Pausing she turned back. "I've gotta figure out how he found me. I'm checking my bag again." She walked into the bedroom. Picking up her pack she began  
a full search. Along every seam and each fold.  
She realized she was fighting back tears. She hadn't cried in ten years. But she'd been so hopeful that this would be her new start. When Riddick had taken  
her off that planet she'd actually been happy. Now that was starting to crumble. Would he find her wherever she went?

Riddick looked towards the room where he knew Jessie would be sitting on the floor. All he could see was the white wooden panel of the closed door. "What's  
up with her?" Jack asked, reclining back in her chair.  
"She's searching her bag for a tracking device. She's done it before. She's certain it's the only way her father can track her."  
Jack nodded, pulling her hair up into a messy bun. 'You've gotta admit that it's pretty convenient to just show up where she's staying."  
Riddick shrugged. "Not really. She said her mom was from Earth. He's just gotta assume she's gonna go where she's got a connection of sorts."  
"But come on, the exact city and building? He's a better tracker than you if that's all he's doing."  
Riddick snorted derisively. "No one's better than me."  
Jack was looking him up and down with an expression on her face that left him curious. "What?" he asked.  
"Nothing. Just wonderin' how with that bod you didn't bring home 10 women," Jack laughed at him. He threw the towel he'd had around his shoulders at her  
face. She just swatted it down still laughing.  
He finally smirked back. Then frowned when Jessie opened the door to her room. "Anything?" he asked.  
She shook her head.

"Oh, come on," Jack said as she stood up and walked over to pat Jessie on the shoulder. "He's already asked here. I told him I'd never laid eyes on ya before.  
He's gone now."  
Jessie knew that Jack was trying to be kind and reassuring, but somehow she knew he'd be back. A sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I'd like to believe  
that, but I just know he'll be back."  
Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "If he does, I'll tell him the same thing. Relax, hon. He ain't gonna get ya while you're here. I take good care of my  
houseguests." With that she walked into the bathroom for her turn at the showers.  
Jessie walked over and started clearing the table again. Lost in her own thoughts. Dreading the possibility of her father coming back for her. She didn't realize  
she was shaking until she dropped the last plate as she took it from the table. Riddick caught it before it hit the floor and walked over to stand behind her as  
he put it in the sink. She braced herself against the sink, trying to calm herself. She felt the unexpected touch of Riddick's hands on her shoulders. "Hey,  
now," he said in his deep and even voice. He turned her around to look at him. "Jack is right. He's already asked about you here. He's gone."  
Jessie shook her head. "No, you don't understand. He'll be back. I know he will." She knew she sounded crazy, but it was true. "I can't explain why I know it  
or how I know it, I just know it's true. Gut feeling, you know?" She wished he would take off those goggles. She searched his face for some expression to tell  
her what he was thinking.

Riddick believed her. Gut instinct meant a lot in survival. And no matter what he'd told Jack, he didn't think it was just good luck that had brought him to their  
door. He looked at the face in front of him. Watched her eyes search his face. He let his hands drop and took a step back. "You can't stay here then," he said.  
He saw the brief frightened look on her face. But she nodded. "I'll be out of here as soon as I can get a ticket."  
He nodded and walked out of the room quickly. Into the living area and paced back and forth, shaking his head. Trying to shake the thoughts that were  
flooding his mind. He could not, would not take her with him. It was enough danger to travel alone. Why would he bring another back to watch? That was  
crazy. No, no, no. Could just hunt her father down and kill him, a voice suggested.  
That would be the easy alternative he admitted to himself.  
Jack walked out of the bathroom and laughed at him still pacing. "You are truly a tiger in a cage," she said as she tossed her towel in the hamper by the  
bathroom door. Riddick looked at her with a brief grin. He took that as a compliment. Comparison to a tiger was not a bad thing.  
He looked at Jack a moment, laughed a brief laugh and sat down. He couldn't believe that this was the rough, little tomboy in disguise he rescued years ago.  
"What's so funny?" Jack asked as she sat down next to him. "You," was his simple reply.  
"What's so funny about me?"  
"The way you've turned out. You're just the same as when I met you, and in a million ways different." He looked at her barely there tank top, with her small  
breasts she never saw the need for a bra. That had always irritated him. He never liked the way the guys looked at her.  
Her lowrise jeans were like a second skin. Red polished nails. Yeah, she knew she attracted attention and she liked it. Unlike Jessie, who attracted it, but didn't  
want it.  
Jack loved being a tease. But he knew the girl could hold her own. He didn't have to worry about her.

Jessie finished the dishes and was now uncertain what to do. She was in someone elses house and she didn't have anything with her. She walked down the  
hall, trying to sort out in her mind her next move. She had to figure out a way to go where he couldn't find her. But how? She didn't know how he was  
finding her now. She walked into the living area and saw Riddick and Jack sitting on the couch. "You took me with you, remember? When I didn't have a  
place to stay," Jack was saying. They both stopped talking the moment they saw her. Jack recovered quickly. "We're gonna go hang in the garage for a while,  
wanna come?"  
Jessie shook her head and smiled before replying with a simple "No, thank you though. I think I'm gonna lay down for a bit."  
Jack just shrugged ok and Riddick went to grab a shirt from his bag sitting by the hall entry. Jessie caught herself once again, briefly, admiring the sight. A  
man shouldn't look that good, she thought.  
She watched the two walk out the door and downstairs. She went and stretched out on the guest bed. She'd decided she'd leave tonight. It was easy to get  
away under the cover of nightfall.  
She closed her eyes, trying to calm the storm within her mind.

Riddick watched as Jack expertly weilded tools of her trade, repairing motors, trannies, a/c units. There wasn't much she couldn't fix.  
He'd been trying to think of a way to keep Jessie out of trouble."You really think it'd be worth it to try to take her with me to another planet?" he asked as he handed Jack a wrench from it's hook on the wall. "Sure, she seems to be alright and like I said, you've taken me all over with you." He smiled. "You were always eager to fight if you needed to, and sometimes when you didn't need to." She looked up form under the hood of the car and smiled. Grease smeared on her forehead. "Yeah, but most aren't as awesome as me." He laughed. A deep real laugh. "That's true, Jack, very true." Jack smiled back at him ad returned to her work. "But she's got to have some quality that appealed to you or she wouldn't be crashing here," she said as she tightened some bolts. He didn't reply for a moment, thinking on it. She was right of course and he'd thought many times about the things he liked about Jessie. Couldn't deny there was something there. He just didn't wanna be worrying about her on the run. After warring for sometime in his mind, he finally conceded that it was going to be. "Alright, I'll take her."  
Jack smiled and slammed the hood of the car. "Knew you would."


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you for all the encouraging reviews! :)  
This is a short chapter, but I hope you like it. I'm sorry it took so long for the update. I'll try to be quicker on the next one. I hope you guys enjoy. And as always I really appreciate you letting me know what you think. :)

Jessie lay awake in the darkness, her mind reeling. She was tired of all the thinking. She could hear the sound of Riddick's deep, boom of laughter and the  
whirl of power tools coming from the garage below. She knew that she hadn't known Riddick that long, but she didn't get the impression that he laughed  
much. Jack was obviously very special to him. And he to her.  
She couldn't find a reason why he wouldn't be. The man had saved her life several times, without even knowing her and had asked nothing of her in return.  
Had given her shelter, helped her meet someone else who could help her. Had been a perfect gentleman towards her. She smiled at that, thinking he'd  
probably not consider that the same kind of compliment as she intended for it to be.  
He was such an intriguing character. He was strong and powerful, yet he'd been so gentle with her. Jack said he was a convict, but he'd never acted like it.  
Not towards her. She'd known convicted men in the past and how they could treat a woman.  
Her train of though was interrupted by a laugh. A man's laugh. Very close to her.  
She sat straight up, straining her eyes to see in the dark. She knew the laugh. How had he gotten in?  
That moment the door shut and the light came on. She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. "How did you get in?" she asked the  
man standing by the door with an evil smile on his face.  
"I have my ways," was the reply.

Riddick couldn't think of the last time he'd laughed so hard. The last time he'd even laughed, for fun, had been the last time with Jack. Sure, he could  
manage a chuckle of amusement at someone else's expense, but laughter, no. That wasn't him. Unless he was with Jack. The girl was so easy to be normal  
with. He could almost forget about the renegade lifestyle. There was no laughter on the run.  
He thought of Jessie, he hadn't seen her laugh for fun either. Wondering if he should run upstairs and see if she felt like coming down and hanging out he  
got up and handed Jack the ratchet he'd been holding.  
"I'm gonna see if Jessie wants to come on down yet," he told her as he headed for the stair.  
As soon as he opened the front door he knew something was wrong. There was the smell of fear in the air, and a male. Someone was in the apartment with  
Jessie.  
He silently crept up to her door and listened.

Jessie was still sitting on the bed, but crouched like tiger ready to spring. The tall man walking back and forth around the bed, watching her every move.  
"Just tell him to leave me alone. In a week in won't matter anyway. I'll be free to leave him."  
The man chuckled, a low and mean sound. "Why would he let his biggest income walk away so freely?" he asked.  
Jessie hated this man with the same passion she hated her father with. This was his right hand man. Keller. She watched him with eyes blazing in a fire of  
hate. He'd abused her almost as long as her father had.  
"In a week he won't be able to do anything about it anyway," she said. Praying that her voice did not betray the fear she felt.  
The man chuckled again. "If that were true, would you really have run?" he asked with a wicked smile.  
"So I gave myself an early birthday present," she retorted. "You can't take me back. You're not gonna be able to walk me past my friends downstairs."  
"Friends? You aren't good enough to have friends. You whoring yourself out to both sides now?" Keller spit back at her in an ugly tone.  
She didn't know what to say back to that. She didn't even know if they would consider her a friend.

Riddick was listening on the other side of the door, growing angrier as the minutes passed. Who was this guy? His hand clenched into a tight fist at his side.  
Who was he to tell her those kind of things? As he stood there he tried to think of a plan. He wanted to just bust into the room and teach the guy some  
manners. You don't talk to a lady like that. And Jessie was a lady. But he didn't know if the guy had a gun. He couldn't risk putting Jessie's life in danger. The  
best option for the moment was to wait and see what the man's next move was. If the man walked through the door he could get the jump on him and knock  
him out before he ever saw it coming. That was his best chance. He was certain the man go through the window in the bedroom. Made him wonder how the  
man had gotten in in the first place. He didn't like that he had missed it. Riddick didn't like being caught unaware.

Jessie was starting to get angry more than afraid. She was tired of living that kind of life. She was a week away from 18. She hated being a prisoner and a  
slave. Who was this man to think that he owned her and could command her? She got off the bed and stood up to face the man. "I'm not going with you."  
The man looked bored as he walked around the room looking at random objects. She was nervous. She knew that Keller never went unarmed. "I don't think  
you'll have a choice in that, Jessie," he said in a voice that was as bored as he looked. She really wished that she'd gone downstairs with Riddick now. Being  
around him she felt safe and now she just felt like a victim again. "What're you gonna do if I resist, huh? Father isn't gonna like it if you damage the goods."  
She took a step back when he laughed violently at her. "He doesn't mind a little bit of force." He took a step towards her and pulled back his jacket to reveil a  
gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans. "You should know that better than most, darlin," he said with a sneer as he stepped up to her and brushed her  
hair over her ear. "Wouldn't be the first time I've gotten rough with you."  
Jessie resisted the urge to back away from him as she wondered if she'd be able to grab the gun from him. "Now, come on. How about we get out of here?"  
he asked as he grabbed her arm and led her towards the bedroom door.

Riddick heard them moving towards the door. Thinking fast he ducked out of side on the far side of the door. When the door opened, he tensed to spring.  
But it was Jessie who was shoved through first. He watched her turn her head as she caught him out of the corner of her eye. Wishing she hadn't done that  
he grabbed for the mans arm. He was already reaching for his gun. He grabbed his wrist just as the man grabbed his gun. Riddick hadn't expected the man  
to be so strong. He was taken off guard when the man elbowed him in the face. Staggering back briefly Riddick regained his composure quick enough to  
grab the man again before he got the gun aimed. He fired a shot randomly. Riddick was thankful he'd had the gun aimed up. A quick punch to the stomach  
and the man stumbled backwards. Quicker than Riddick expected the man regained his balance though, and his gun was aimed at Riddick. Before he could  
react he saw Jessie grab the mans hand and knock the gun out of his grip, but not without the man pulling the trigger first. Riddick felt a faint burning in his  
arm as he lunged for the man. Before he got to him he saw Jessie knocked off her feet with a backhand that would have dazed a man. The door swung open  
with a crash as it hit the wall and Jack ran in. The man looked over to see who was coming in. Riddick took that moment to tackle the man. He wasn't use to  
having someone stand against him very well. This man was holding his own. The exchanged a few punches and jabs and Riddick had finally gotten a hold of  
the man when the guy grabbed his goggles and pulled them off. Riddick was blinded by the brightness of the sun pouring in through the windows. He  
punched the man in the stomach as hard as he could and was rewarded by a very satisifying gasp. He grabbed for his goggles, kicking the man away. He  
heard the scuffling of the man trying to get back up. He pulled his goggles on and saw the man coming towards him and stopping with fist drawn back when  
the click of the gun hammer sounded behind them both.

"Get up!" Jessie commanded as she aimed the gun steadily at Kellers head. She saw the surprise in his eyes as he looked her over. Head head was spinning  
from the hit but she refused to lower the weapon. She glanced over at Riddick to see him getting to his feet and adjusting the goggles. 'Get up," she said  
again when Keller hesitated. Keeping the gun aimed at his chest she looked over to Riddick. "Are you ok?" she asked feeling so terrible that this happened  
because of her. Keller was getting to his feet, slowly. She felt a twinge of guilt at feeling happy that Riddick had obviously left him in pain. Still the man  
managed to laugh at her as he struggled to his feel. She'd never fired a gun before but she knew how and she thought it very foolish of him to laugh when  
she had one aimed at him. "How did you find me? How did my father find me?" she asked with anger dripping in her voice.  
Keller laughed again. "He made sure you could never run from him."  
"How?!" Her head was throbbing and all the stress from the last few days and pain from the last 10 years was starting to take it's toll. She was losing her  
patience.  
She looked over and saw Riddick holding his arm, blood running throuh his fingers. She inhaled sharply. Anger welled up in at the sight of the injury.  
She took a step towards Keller. "You'd better start talking or I'll shoot you were you stand."

Riddick let Jack help clean the wound on his arm. It burned. He gave no outward sign that it effected him at all. He watched Jessie holding the gun so calmly.  
He wasn't sure if she'd actually shoot the man or not.  
The man was acting like he didn't know what to say to her. "If you're gonna shoot me there's no reason to tell you anything," he said with a defiant smile.  
Riddick watched Jessie's reaction closely. The girl was steady as could be. "I'm not gonna shoot you if you tell me, only if you don't," she replied with no  
emotion in her voice. "I'd say that's good incentive to talk."  
Riddick tensed and unbuttoned the pocket on the leg of his pants to pull the shiv out as the man took a step towards Jessie.  
"He tracked you. You didn't think that he'd ever risk not knowing where you were did you?" the man asked in a ugly voice. Taking another step towards Jessie  
he continued. "You're never gonna be out of his reach. Or out of mine for that matter." As he said that he went to take a quick step towards Jessie, at the  
same moment she stepped back and Riddick met the man mid step with the shiv at his stomach. "Not a step closer," he said lowly to the man. The man  
seemed to think about testing that and decided that Riddick would do it. He turned back to Jessie. "So this is the lot you're throwing in with now? Hmm.  
Threesome? That's hot," he taunted her. Stopping short when Riddick jabbed the shiv a little and lowered it. "Enough. You tell her what she wants to know  
and maybe you'll get to enjoy one yourself."

Jessie watched as Riddick stopped Keller's verbal abuse with appreciation.  
Keller stared at her for a long time before he finally replied. "You're being tracked. You're father knows your location at all times. He had that taken care of  
when you were a child."  
What was he saying? "A tracking device?" she asked to see if she was hearing right. He just nodded at her. "Where? Where's it at?"  
"I don't know. I wasn't around when it was done. He liked to brag that you'd never be out of his grasp."  
Jessie felt a little sick as a thought started to form in her mind.  
"Get out of here. You go and tell my father that I'm through. I'm not his anymore." She gestured towards the door with the gun still pointed. Looking irritated  
yet amused Keller obeyed and walked through the door. Riddick followed him all the way out of the garage.  
Jessie watched them go and sank down onto the couch. Dropping the gun on the table. Jack came over and sat next to her. "You sure you wanna let that  
leech go?" she asked. Jessie just nodded mutely. "You handled yourself well, Jessie," Jack said with a smile. "I can see what Riddick likes about you."  
Jessie smiled a bit in return. Her jaw starting to hurt from Keller's hit.  
Riddick came back in and walked over to Jessie. Without a word he tilted her head towards him and examined her face. "You ok?" he asked, his voice deep.  
Jessie bit her lip and nodded. "I'm so sorry. Your arm-" she started, but he put a finger over her lips to stop her. "It's nothing. The bullet just grazed the  
flesh. It did more damage to the wall than it did my arm." He stood back up and showed her. It was still bleeding a little but she saw what he meant. It was  
just a long scratch really.  
"Still needs to be covered," Jack said and headed into the bathroom. When she came back out she was carrying a first aid kit. "Come on. Sit down," she  
commanded Riddick. He obediently sat down next to Jessie as Jack perched herself on the arm of the sofa and began to clean and dress the wound.  
Jessie felt terrible. She'd caused so much trouble for him already. And now for Jack too. "I think I'm gonna head out tonight," she said to neither of them in  
particular. She was looking down and fiddlying with the hem of her shirt.

Before Riddick could protest Jack spurted out her reaction. "Why would you do something so stupid?" Jack wasn't much for softening a blow. He smirked and  
watched as Jessie looked up in surprise. "I kind of figured you'd appreciate it if I did..." she replied.  
Jack laughed and Riddick almost did too. "Come on. You're one of us now. We take care of each other. Help each other out of scrapes and that's all this is.  
Some bad business to get out of. You got stuck with a scummy old man, not your fault."  
Riddick watched as Jessie just sat and stared at Jack for a minute. Her lips parted in an adorable look of surprise.  
Riddick flexed his arm as Jack finished her care. "Thanks." She just nodded and got up to put the kit away. While she was rushing up Riddick turned to look  
at Jessie and against his nature he reached up to tuck the stray strand of hair behind her ear. "We're not kicking you out for that trash to pick you up. You're  
gonna be safe with us."  
He watched the relief in her eyes as he spoke. But he was a little worried. How had this man managed to sneak in. And where was the tracking device. How  
could they stay now that her father knew where she was? What if the guy had recognized him? Where were they gonna go?


End file.
